New school, new number, same question — and JC French's early answer at Cincinnati is 2,924 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club.
6′1″ · 205 lb · Roswell, GA
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Extends plays with his feet until something opens up.
Interception rate: 94th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 10 car · 52 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing TDs game.
The play that turned itSwung Cincinnati from 13% to 54% to win.Miami (OH) at Cincinnati · 35-31
Jesus Christ French the 4th really turned water into wine on that qb keeperr/CFB game thread · ▲ 2His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior quarterback for Cincinnati. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
-15aura tax
37th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=18
— the discourse is fair.Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
JC French
JC French arrives at Cincinnati with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
2,924
2924 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
6 programs, one constant: he played.
Career arc
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Scott Satterfield.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Cincinnati
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cincinnati | 62 | 81 | 76.5% | 631 | 7.8 | 5 | 0 | 162.4 | 60 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Southern | 249 | 390 | 63.8% | 2,924 | 7.5 | 20 | 8 | 139.6 | 44 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Georgia Southern | 269 | 410 | 65.6% | 2,831 | 6.9 | 17 | 11 | 131.9 | 43 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Georgia Southern | 13 | 16 | 81.2% | 122 | 7.6 | 1 | 1 | 153.4 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 593 | 897 | 66.1% | 6,508 | 7.3 | 43 | 20 | 138.4 | 45 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cincinnati | 33 | 143 | 4.3 | 4 | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Southern | 133 | 315 | 2.4 | 6 | -- |
| 2024 | Georgia Southern | 118 | 238 | 2.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Georgia Southern | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 298 | 744 | 2.5 | 12 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-15vs Boston College | 10/14 | 77 | 1 | 0 | 5.5 | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 62-10vs Western Carolina | 21/24 | 245 | 2 | 0 | 10.2 | — | |
| Wk 3 | W 35-31vs Miami (OH) | 31/43 | 309 | 2 | 0 | 7.2 | 48.5 | Season-high 309 yds |
| Total | 62/81 | 631 | 5 | 0 | 7.6 | 48.5 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 62–10
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +309 passing yards, +2 passing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: interception rate (94th percentile). Strength: success rate (89th percentile). Concern: explosive rate (18th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
8.3550 of 126 QBsSack rate
4.7%68 of 126 QBsSacked on 4.7% of dropbacks (68 of 126) — and still 50 of 126 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 76.5% completion on 81 attempts · 33% completion on 9 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 83 dropbacks60Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
57.6%99th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · -2.6% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
7.2458th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.7 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
5.0%60th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.2% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (1 of 84 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 210 | 1.7 | 7.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 210 | 1.7 | 7.6 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Satterfield
Pass share
41.6%
89 pass / 125 run
Plays / game
71.3
3 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
Extends plays with his feet until something opens up.
CFB Index positional classification
Returning starter at quarterback for a 7-6 Cincinnati team that went +0 in the portal. The No. 1,255 recruit in the country is starting at quarterback in the Big 12 as a senior.
Player DNA
Makes plays with feet when the pocket collapses. Efficiency still on the rise.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Tyler Jones’s 2014 season.
Matches Tyler on
Differs from Tyler on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Tommy DeVito’s path through Illinois.
Matches Tommy on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Blake Shapen's senior season at Mississippi State (2024).
Differs from Blake on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #27 this season.